Devin Aromashodu Fantasy News

Percy Harvin was absent as the Minnesota Vikings resumed practice on Monday, 15 days after he sprained the ankle in a Nov. 4 loss at Seattle.

"Most of the swelling is gone," Vikings coach Leslie Frazier said. "It's just sore and pretty tender right now. So, we'll see how he feels when we come back on Wednesday."

Frazier said after the Lions game he expected Harvin, who leads the team with 62 catches for 677 yards and five total touchdowns, to be ready after the bye. The Vikings return to action on Sunday against Chicago.

Vikings WR Jerome Simpson (lower back, foot) returned to limited practice reps Thursday after missing Wednesday practice. HC Leslie Frazier was less confident about Simpson's availability after Thursday's practice then he was earlier in the week. The team wants to see how Simpson practices on Friday. If he can't play, look for Michael Jenkins and Devin Aromashodu to pick up extra snaps.

Vikes wide receiver Jerome Simpson's three-game suspension for violating the NFL 's substance abuse policy will come to an end Monday, meaning he can rejoin the Vikings on a full-time basis and go through all team activities.

Simpson, who was signed as a free agent during the offseason after four seasons in Cincinnati, should provide the Vikings with a vertical threat upon his return for next Sunday's game in Detroit.

"Obviously, (Simpson is) a great player and we're going to find ways to use him and get the ball to him," QB Christian Ponder said. "We're excited he'll be back for this game (next Sunday)."

WR Percy Harvin seems especially excited that Simpson will join him on the field.

"Let's party," he said. "It's another weapon. We'll welcome him back. It's something for us to keep going, and for us to keep going we need all our weapons."

Fantasy Impact:

Simpson will likely be a popular pickup with his return this week and perhaps already was last week. He gives the team a vertical threat, a week after Ponder threw for two TDs in an upset win over the 49ers. For now, temper expectations for Simpson until he's back in game shape. If you have the roster room, he could be worth stashing away. This will also likely mean less time for Michael Jenkins and Devin Aromashodu

Vikings WR Devin Aromashodu (61 snaps) played even more than Jenkins but caught only one pass for 13 yards early. He dropped a tough chance on a slant against Woodson and blocked OK.

Fantasy Impact:

The former Bear, who looked like he was on track to be a solid fantasy option, could be working his way back into fantasy leagues. It wasn't an impressive performance in the end, but the number of plays could tell us a lot. Don't go adding him just yet, but he's another guy to keep your eye on.

It looks like the 26-year-old WR Devin Aromashodu needs to head elsewhere if he wants to jump-start his career. He will be a restricted free agent and it would be surprising if the Bears brought him back after he spent all but Week 1 deep on the depth chart.

"It's been a tough year," Aromashodu said. "I wish it could have been better. I'll discuss things with my agent and see where it goes."

He would be crazy to want to return for another season, right?

"Would I be crazy?" Aromashodu said. "I don't want to burn any bridges. I definitely know I can play in this league. I've experienced good things so I know what I am capable of doing. I know once I get my opportunity again I just need to take advantage of it. That's what I've always done."

Perhaps Devin Aromashodu could benefit from a conversation with Mike Martz regarding his current situation.

Because up to this point, it doesn't sound like Aromashodu has gone out of his way to seek answers from the Bears coaching staff.

"We've talked briefly, but not as far as the reason why I didn't play," Aromashodu said Wednesday. "Obviously, they saw something that maybe they felt I didn't do that other players brought. So they went with that.

"I don't know [what exactly I did wrong]. I would have to go and discuss that with them to find out."

After leading the Bears with 10 passes thrown his way against the Lions in Week 1, Aromashodu has disappeared from the game plan. He didn't see a pass come his way against the Cowboys in Week 2 and was inactive for the Packers game.

Fantasy Impact:

It's a strange story for a guy many considered a late-round steal. At this point, he's getting dropped in leagues for better options and for good reason. One would think he'd be back at some point so if you have a deep roster, it may not be a bad idea to stash him away if you see him out there. But in leagues with tougher restrictions, he can't be clogging up a spot when he's not even active.

From the top scoring Bears wideout in week 1 to deactivated in week 3. It seems as if there's got to be more to the story here, but the Bears aren't letting on. We will continue to monitor this situation, but for now it appears safe to drop Aromashodu.

Bears wide receivers coach Darryl Drake said Devin Aromashodu's situation was ''a matchup thing'' and a result of Aromashodu not being fully recovered until late in the week after getting banged on his knee in the Lions game. It also was because of the ''flow of the game.'' And also because the Bears ran only 49 offensive plays against the Cowboys -- 21 fewer than against the Lions.

Mike Martz addressed why Devin Aromashodu played so sparingly against Dallas and had this to say:

"Devin is a bit of a specialist in that he doesn't play the slot, which we asked him to do in the opener. He's not comfortable in there. He's not familiar with it. All four of our other receivers do play the slot and the outside. Devin just plays the outside so his opportunities to play are reduced dramatically because of his limited knowledge of what we do at that position. He's not a slot or a nickel guy. He's outside. It has nothing to do with Devin's performance."

Be that as it may, word is Aromashodu short-armed some balls after absorbing some big hits against Detroit and the coaching staff lost confidence in him going over the middle. No one will say it on the record, of course, but sources say this is reason why he was on the sideline vs. Dallas.